The Cold Shoulder: Rewrite
by FrostbittenDeath
Summary: This is a rewrite of my original story, The Cold Shoulder. The same plot as before, but it's more concise this time: Frost gets hurt, Blaze tries to help, but the people won't let her help, and Frost thinks that she didn't even try to help.
1. Prologue

**NOTE: This is NOT a sequel to The Cold Shoulder. That's another story of mine. This is actually -- what I feel -- an improvement to the original version of The Cold Shoulder, which I thought was not my best work at all. So, it's basically the same thing, but with some minor changes to the story to make the plot more concise and that it actually makes sense. I hope that this one is much better to you guys than my original one. **

**Thank you and enjoy reading.**

**_--BlackW0lf45_**

_

* * *

_

**_The Cold Shoulder:  
Prologue _**

_  
__We could've stopped before it began,  
Yet you continued to drag it out.  
I scream that I love you,  
Without any doubt.  
Your hatred strikes me a hard blow,  
And with this invisible knife in my heart,  
May you reap what you sow.  
_

I wake up in a cold sweat, which is pretty ironic because I can control ice, while my sister can control fire. My day begins like any other day in my time. I wake up, get all cleaned up, get my clothes on, practice my skills, and begin my days…hidden in the darkness of the cold shadows. I walk around without being seen. I travel with a darkened cloak. If that damned myth wasn't being spread like a virus, I could reveal myself, but I can never do this. If I did, I would surely die by the throes of rejection. My lime green eyes glisten in the darkness like the full moon presses against the blackness of the sky at night. I am approached by a civilian.

"Who's there?"

Should I tell? I'm cornered…


	2. Rejection

**_The Cold Shoulder:  
Rejection_**

"Who's there?" the voice asked again. "Is someone there?"

I felt as if the mouth of resentment was ready to swallow me whole. My arms and legs were heavy with iron chains attached to my ankles and wrists. My throat was as dry as a desert and tears flowed from my eyes, patterning the ground with my sadness and fear as it held me in its icy cold embrace, refusing to let go. I felt like I was attached to a withered pillar on the verge of collapsing; but I knew that sooner or later that I had to man up and face my fear. What good would that do? This fear was like a virus festering deep within the core of my body, growing and feeding on my courage, absorbing my very life force; a dirty little pathogen that refused to leave me alone.

"Yes, someone is here," I responded calmly. A natural response slipped from my lips. I didn't sound scared, worried, or petrified. It was just a natural and calm response on my part. I hoped that this would continue for a while.

"Whoever you are, come on out of the shadows. Don't be afraid. We won't hurt you."

That was it. That was the breaking point of my sanity. At this point, my heart felt like it was made of stone and my lungs were filled with poison. It suddenly became hard to breathe. I gripped my chest and held onto the wall. I couldn't take one breath without realizing that revealing myself to the general public was a terrible idea. It's like stepping into a vat of boiling lava. You just don't do that unless you're a complete moron. It was a horrible idea and I just wanted to kill that person for suggesting that I show myself to the people who persecuted me ten years ago

"I-I I j-just…" I stuttered and stammered, barely able to spit out what I wanted to say. "I haven't been seen I such a long time. I'm scared."

And that was the truth.

"Don't fear. I'm sure that you've been blessed with such great beauty that the world would surely envy you," the man's voice reassured. "Step forward and show yourself to us all."

Envy. What a funny word. Envy is a term that is used to describe extreme jealousy and hatred towards someone else and their possessions or earnings. Does he really think that _any _of these simpletons would feel any sort of envy towards someone like me? All they would feel is hatred, agony, and endless fear. But what was the point? He had already broken me down further, so I decided that I might as well show myself finally. After so many years in hiding and isolation, it was finally time to reveal myself to the people who nearly took my life. I took my stand amongst the light away from the beautiful darkness that once covered my black fur. My entire person was black; my heeled shoes were dark purple; and my pants were even black, though I wasn't completely dressed in black. My cape-like shirt was white, but this was just one of the many shirts that I wore as a child. I am what you would call a black cat. Yes; a black cat. My name is Frost and I am Blaze's twin sister. Now do you see that people hate me? As soon as the people got one look at me, they immediately began running and screaming out vile and spiteful words of hatred.

"NO! Akuma! Akuma!"

"Why?!"

"Must we be tormented once more?!"

These reactions were not surprising to me in the slightest. I had heard all of those nasty hateful epithets when I was a child, so this was not new, but still, my spirit died a little more inside every single time I heard these words. 'Akuma' is a pretty common name for someone like me. It translates to mean 'Demon,' so that's what I'm now subsequently labeled as: a demon; a thing; a monster; a spawn of Satan, and many other horrible things.

Suddenly, a massive collaboration of people came and surrounded me, as if they all came to watch me die. One of the many heartless bastards – that's my term for them – approached me with a sharp spiral object in his hand. Its edges were sharper than the sharpest knife, and it looked like it had some range. These people were literally trying to kill me again, but I wasn't going to let them. This time, it was time for me to fight back and show them that I was serious.

"Die! Go back to Hell where you belong!" the man shouted. With full force, he hurled the object at me, hoping that it would eventually kill me. That wasn't going to happen. Not on my watch.

The object flew at me with such speed and intensity, approaching my face, nearing its target like a homing missile locked on. I was ready and willing to prove them wrong when all of a sudden, something appeared from the corner of my eye. As fast a bolt of lightning, I felt anxiety crawl within me and freeze me in place. I was shocked and taken aback by what I had seen with my very own eyes. It was Blaze! She was running through the group of people, pushing them aside, but was stopped by them. I thought that she cared.

_Blaze…how could you? _Pain gripped my heart and soul. My thoughts raced and I was frozen, unmoving, and vulnerable to the object's sharp teeth. My ears caught the sound of the object spinning towards me, cutting the air like scissors through frail paper. It sounded evil and vile and it desired to cut me to shreds. I turned my head and realized that the object was closer than ever. I could see my reflection bared in the metallic shine of it. I could've frozen it, but I was too terrified to react like that, so without thinking, I dove out of the way, hoping to evade it. If I had bet my life that the object didn't hit me, I would already be dead. I almost made it, but the pain felt so bad that I couldn't describe it. The object sliced my left shoulder, the teeth of it penetrating some bone marrow, chugging deep within as it jetted across my skin.

"GAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!"

I fell to the ground moaning and groaning in pain and agony. I gripped my shoulder trying to unsuccessfully hamper the free-flowing blood. It swam onto the floor and formed a dark red puddle. Numbness encapsulated me and I couldn't move. I felt dizzy and woozy and I fell further into the pit of darkness. I lied there, seemingly lifeless to the others. The citizens celebrated.

"Yeah!" someone shouted.

"It's finally over!" another shouted.

Blaze tried to push her way through the crowd, but was immensely unsuccessful. There were too many people blocking her way to break through. The crowd then ran back, taking Blaze with them, all of them chanting rhythmically, '_The demon is dead! The demon is dead!' _Blaze had a sad look on her face as she saw the image of her suffering sister fade away. She wanted to save her, but they just wouldn't let her.

Faster than I could awaken from the pain, I looked up and saw that I was alone. Everyone had left me here to die. Nobody tried to help me, not even Blaze, the only one who truly cared for me…supposedly. I didn't know that to think anymore. Did she even care about what was happening to me? She saw that I was in danger. Why didn't she try to help? She was probably just trying to get a front row seat just like everyone else who lined up to see my funeral. I awoke back to reality and saw the object next to me soaked in my own blood, and a reflection of myself in a puddle of my own blood. I saw the wound on my shoulder. I couldn't bear the pain any longer. I had to medicate it, so I took my hand and froze the wound over with ice so I could medicate it as soon as I got to my room.

All I could think about at this point weren't the people that tried to kill me, but Blaze for what she did. "Blaze, why did you do this to me? All you did was just watch, trying to get closer so you could watch me die. You let the treat me like trash. Why?" I cried.

I got up and stumbled trying to walk to my room so I could medicate the wound. Before I went on, I noticed something different about my shirt. Some blood that spilled on it had turned some of it a dark purple, just like the souls of the people who hurt me.


	3. Transformation

**_The Cold Shoulder:  
Transformation_**

I was barely able to maintain balance because of the wound that was clearly made visible by the rays of sunlight seething through the palate of thick ice that covered my shoulder. I fell down on a constant basis, painfully trying my hardest to keep myself upright, struggling to make it through the pain until I made it to the bathroom. Trying to make it to the door, which was standing a few feet in front of me, was a challenge all by itself. Nothing could have been more difficult at this point that trying to walk with a badly damaged shoulder. Shortly after my short trek, I found myself on the floor again, unable to move. My muscles were flabby and the bones in my shoulder were as brittle as toothpicks. Everyone had abandoned me. I was left for dead. There was no one around to help or assist me with my plight, no one to assist me in my time of need. I laid there helpless and crying with my face flat on the hard, cold concrete that had been stepped upon by those who hated me.

My situation couldn't get any worse at this point. I was almost killed again, and my own sister turned on me. What was the point of going on? Why even bother to challenge myself to say that it's going to be alright? I knew that it wasn't, so just laying there face first on the rough concrete would be good. At least nobody would remember me when I fade away. I'll just be forgotten.

But thinking about it, I didn't want to leave without finding some way to get back at my sister for what she did to me. I needed to find her and get her back for what she did, for the promise she broke. I had to find Blaze and teach her what it meant to betray the one you loved. My determination to take her down helped push me up. I took my good hand and lifted myself up, letting my damaged arm sag to the ground. Soon, I was up and walking towards my room. Each step I took felt like a shot of poison being injected through my bloodstream, its painful energy waves pulsing through my body, but I pressed on.

Finally, I made it. After toiling and bearing my all for only a few feet, I finally found myself in my bedroom. It was a joy to behold. This domain brought me joy in being alone. The many pictures and portraits of me by myself standing behind a large building, the self-portraits of my face, and even the pictures of me…and Blaze, they all bought me joy. That picture in the corner with me and her holding hands and smiling just made me sick. Those days were gone, and the Frost of the past was dead and buried. Run down to the point of giving up, I limped over to my bed and threw myself on the satin bedsheets. My thoughts began racing again.

_Blaze, the last thing that I would want you to do is hurt me. I never thought that you would sink so low to such a level. All you did was watch while I suffered. They almost killed me and you didn't even seem to care. I loved you with all my heart. Why would you do this to me?_

I then looked at my damaged shoulder, which was now becoming visible through the palate of melting ice. Thank goodness for the heated room. Something of great interest instantly came to mind when I saw the blood on my clothes. I suddenly relived the accident. Even if it was only for a few seconds, it felt like hell. "Huh? Why is my suit black?" I asked myself. Parts of my suit were splattered with blood which made it a purplish-black color. I looked at my legs then back at my wound. For some reason, I felt comforted by the black shades being shadowed over my suit. A vile smile formed across my face and I closed my eyes before coming to a final conclusion. "I know what I have to do," I chuckled. "If these people wish to see my anger, I will let them see it. I will turn my entire suit black…using only my blood."


	4. Mutilation

**This chapter wasn't included in the original draft of The Cold Shoulder, though the entire act of her insanity was detailed in separate segments of the original story. This time, I decided to add another chapter that focuses entirely on what she did. For one, it helps to understand her character a bit more, and it really shows how far she will go in order to accomplish a task like this.**

**Enjoy.**

_**--BlackW0lf45**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**The Cold Shoulder:  
**__**Mutilation**_

"How should I do it?" I said to myself, trying to figure out the least painful way to get the necessary amount of blood needed to change my suit from white to black. I thought to myself, '_What is the most painless way? There has to be some way.' _If that was the case, I would have thought of it by now, but, no. I'm pretty sure there was no least painful way or possibly a _painless_ way. I mean, my shoulder was completely destroyed. I could barely lift it up to wipe the sweat caressing my eyebrow. I could feel myself falling under. My eyelids started to get heavy and my body was getting weaker. I started to feel cold and pale. The rapid loss of blood was disintegrating me from the inside out. I couldn't bear it. I had to do something fast before it was too late. I could have frozen the wound over again, but that wouldn't help at all. Sure it would have helped some, but in the end, it would only prolong the torture of having to heal it later on, and it only would have gotten worse.

I fell backwards and my head landed on the pillows. I loved the feel of those pillows. The cotton and fluff rubbing against me when I was sleep; it reminded me of Teddy. He was probably my only means of conveyance. He probably could had snapped me out of my sadness and helped thrust me back into reality. But I couldn't find him. He disappeared when I was seven, and I never saw him since. I assumed those ungrateful pricks stole him from me and ripped him into a million pieces. I could just imagine them doing it right now. Taking him, ripping his stuffing out, twisting and turning it to form something cryptic, tearing his head off his shoulders, feeding him to their ravenous, wild dogs, watching them as they tore him apart and…

I couldn't stand it anymore. Just the thought of what they could have done to my precious Teddy was just too much to handle. I shut my eyes and begged to dream, hoping that I could forget about my wound, but I was instantly brought back to fruition when I felt the stinging pain of the teeth of that sharp object that dug into my skin. The small, miniature knife-like things that protruded from my bone marrow like a sore thumb dug deeper and it felt like hell. I zipped up and immediately grabbed my shoulder. I was already suffering because of my sister's betrayal. Why make me suffer more because of this hole in my shoulder that won't go away? Something needed to be done. I had to do what I came in my room to do. That was to turn my outfit black.

Not caring about what would happen next, I put my hand on my damaged shoulder and proceeded towards the bathroom. Just like outside, I found it extraordinarily difficult to walk straight, but I couldn't falter as of yet. It wasn't an extremely strenuous task like it was outside, but it was still a chore to walk. I knew this wound wasn't going to heal itself. It had to be done by me and me alone. Nobody else was there to help me do it. No one was watching over me, making sure that I was doing it properly – not that there was any proper was of doing this. Nobody was instructing me, warning me and telling me to be careful. It was just me.

"It begins," I sighed, ready for anything that would happen. I stared into my mirror, looking at my reflection of what was yet to pass, when suddenly pops in Blaze's reflection in the mirror, instantly replacing the reflection of me that originally stood within the mirror. Soon, I was starring at the reflection of my sister dead in her eyes. "Blaze, you stood back and watched me die. You watched me become foul play. You watched me become nothing."

I stripped naked, removing my clothes until only the nakedness of my black body showed. I could now see the wound left in my shoulder much more clearly now. It was like staring into a bottomless pit. It seemed like there was no end to its depth or magnitude. I could at least see the blood pussing, magnifying forward towards the top of my shoulder. Some of it began to pour out. I placed my index and middle finger together, dug deep inside of the wound, and there I had some fresh blood on my fingers. It was strange seeing my own blood on display like this. Even though nobody was watching me, I still felt weird doing this. I had never seen my own blood this up-close before, except for when I was outside with those people; but even then, it still made me feel nauseous and weary. I had never seen my own blood this up-close and personal.

I then grabbed my suit and smeared the blood onto the suit. The blackness showed. The white immediately contrasted a very dark shade of purple when I rubbed it on my suit. Maybe this was the only way that I could accomplish what I was doing. If there was another way, I didn't know. This was the only solution that came to mind. I decided that since the first time was virtually painless, I decided to delve in a second time. I assumed that it would be as painless as it was; just digging in to get blood. Boy, was I wrong. The second time, literally, felt like someone was ripping my shoulder apart. I had never felt such excruciating pain in my entire life. It was horrible and it made me feel like dying, but I wasn't going to quit just because it hurt. I had to accomplish this. I dug in deeper to find some more blood.

I must have been mental to even consider doing what I did. This time, it really felt like hell. It seemed that all hope had abandoned me because I could feel every single nerve ending in my entire being quiver and shake. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from screaming in agony. All I could feel was hurt. All I knew was anguish at this point. My legs were as brittle as toothpicks, my hands were shaking, and my body was dripping with sweat. I struggled to stay up and continue, but the pain was far too great to just ignore and I could no longer pretend it wasn't there. I fell to my knees and my fingers lashed out of the wound, carrying with it a bucket of my own blood onto my suit. This was the blood from my wound. I couldn't believe it. My entire suit was covered in my blood in a matter of seconds.

I had actually dug inside myself and spilled my own blood onto my once-white suit. My eyes became diluted and blank, and I could barely hold myself up by the weight of my arms. I had officially done myself in. Reaching inside my wound and gathering all this blood was the closest I was going to get to being called insane. My arms gave in and my body felt drained. I was at the point of no return. I fell face first in the pool of my thick blood. It made me sick to my stomach. I felt like throwing up my insides all over the place. The stench of my blood was appalling. I knew now that I would never more feel the sweet, vibrant, heavenly touch of peace and love. Chaos and vehemence was all I could feel now.


	5. Explanation

**_The Cold Shoulder:  
Explanation_**

There was so much to do, and so little time to do it. The hustle and bustle of the many psychic individuals walking around the city was strong. It seemed that everyone had something to look forward to. Everyone was waiting for that special someone; children were playing and enjoying life; people were swimming in the ocean and soaking up the sunlight. They had no worries. It seemed like life couldn't get any more perfect than this for them. For Blaze, it was far from perfect right now. Nothing bad had happened to her up until this point. She was having perfectly normal day just like everyone else, but when she saw her sister get attacked by those cruel, ungrateful people, her perfect day went straight to the dogs. She had never felt more depressed in her life. She just wanted to hurt all of the people that dared to lay a hand on Frost again.

All she could think of right now was Frost. Maybe she was doing all right. She hoped that it wouldn't get worse not just for her, but for their relationship. They made a promise a while back when they were children, and now with everything happening so fast, she was fearful at what Frost would now think about her. So much was hanging over her head that she might as well have had a gigantic boulder of all her problems waiting to crush her. "What am I going to tell Silver?" she said to herself. "He probably doesn't know that I have a twin sister, but he needs to know about her."

At the pier of the city, Silver stood watching the sky. He stared at the fluffy silver-lined clouds as they crawled across the blue sky. The sun's rays broke through them and touched down on the water, leaving the sun's reflection on the surface. The waves of the sea were mesmerizing as they were calming, constantly lapping the wooden planks with synchronized grace. The lukewarm wind flowed through the linden leaves of the giant basswoods, carrying a perfume-like scent past that tickled Solver's nostrils. He inhaled it deeply and let nature take its course. This was a day to remember. Not too far away, he heard footsteps. The clicking and clacking of the heels were very familiar. It sounded like Blaze. He turned his head and saw Blaze walking towards him with her hands hung towards the floor. She was back early. She said that she was going to see someone special today for a couple hours. It had only been about forty-five minutes since she left, and she didn't look very upbeat. She didn't even look like she normally did on regular days. "Hey, Blaze," he said to her. "You're back early."

"Yeah, I sure am," she sighed.

"What happened? You look sad."

This was the hard part. Blaze felt her heart beat against her ribcage like a drum. She was prepared to open herself to him, hoping that Silver would understand where she was coming from and who she was talking about: Frost, her only sister. "Silver, you know what it's like to save someone you care for. You did it for me when we were kids. I had you, but you probably didn't know that I had a sister, too."

"A sister?" Silver mumbled to himself. The term immediately had him stumped. He thought that Blaze was an only child, but suddenly something flipped a switch in his head. The image of another young girl popped in his head. She looked beautiful and she looked just like Blaze when she was a child, except she had black fur and a white suit on. She was being chased down the street by their citizens. They had torches and knives in hand, chasing this poor girl down the street. The images were frightening to him. He came back to reality and looked back at Blaze. "Frost, right?" he answered.

"Right," she confirmed. "But, how did you know?"

"Long story, but let's just say that I ran into her by complete accident," he began. "I wasn't a part of the mob at all – I hate that stuff. In fact, I ran into her as soon I met you. I was just walking, minding my own business, when this girl bumped straight into me. She was in tears and was shaking like a leaf. I asked her, _'What's the matter? Are you okay?'_ She responded by saying _'Those mean people are trying to kill me. Please hide me!'_ I then asked her what her name was. She told me her name was Frost and was your sister. I gave her mine. I tried to help her, but she was so scared that I couldn't get near her. She wouldn't let me help. I felt so sorry for her. They just kept on chasing her. Yeah, so I know Frost. I just hope that she still remembers me."

Blaze was speechless. She had no idea that Silver knew her sister like that. She thought that she would have to tell about her history, but he at least knew about the angry mob scene that happened ten years ago. She lowered her head and sighed again. "Ten years ago. Ten years ago that dreadful day happened. I remember it like it was yesterday. Silver, Frost is the one who I care for the most. I care for you, too, Silver; but, believe me when I say that I love her more than anything on this planet. I'd never let anything happen to her. I wanted to help her, but I couldn't because of my duties of guarding the Sol Emeralds. I cried that night. I cried every night after that for a long time because I couldn't get those thoughts out of my head of my own sister being beaten within an inch of her life. I just wish that I could go back to that time and stop this from ever happening."

"Well, she's got to be okay now. So, what did you do when you were gone? You did say you were going to see someone. Who did you see?" he asked, eager to hear where she went.

Now she really didn't want to say it. It was too much for her to take. Sweat poured down her face and sullied her eyebrows. Her hands began to shake and quiver as walls surrounded her and locked her in a corner. The image of Frost's shoulder being ripped to pieces came back into play. She couldn't bear it and that image would haunt her for the rest of her natural born life if she didn't get it off of her chest right now. "I went to go see Frost."

"Really? How was she? Is she doing well?"

"Well…" she paused, swallowing a river of saliva before delivering the explanation that needed to be told. "I saw her, but I never got a chance to talk to her."

"Why?"

"Because she was attacked again. An entire group of people surrounded her and they jeered at her. They hurled insults and made many nasty, vulgar comments towards her. It was just so painful to watch them do that to her. I tried my best to step in and help, but I was stopped by the group of people. They wouldn't dare let me through, no matter how hard I pushed and begged for them to let me through. They refused. They hurt her, Silver. They hurt her. One person took some kind of blade-looking thing and sliced her clean across her shoulder. Blood was everywhere, Silver, and I mean everywhere. You couldn't even imagine how much blood there was. I was able to get a glimpse of her eyes before they were shut. She wants revenge, Silver. She wants it, and she means to get it. She'll try to achieve it by any means necessary."

Silver couldn't believe what he just heard. His mind went to black and his thoughts were clouded. All that he heard didn't sound like she was lying. He knew Blaze, and if what he was hearing was true, then he was right about those people: They hated Frost. They hated Frost and they hated her guts. If they had a real reason to hate her, he had no real idea because they were all brainwashed by the myth of the Black Cat. The myth spread like wildfire and the people enjoyed hearing about it so they had more reason to torture this little girl who did nothing wrong. "I can't believe it," he huffed. "Those people are heartless. They don't have any other reason to attack her. None. They just hate her because."

"I know about the Black Cat Myth, Silver. It's a story that goes back many years, dating as far back as Medieval Times."

Silver put his hand on her shoulder. "Blaze, I understand exactly how you feel. In fact, I think that I need to see her for myself. Do you remember where she went?"

"Yes, I do. Just follow me. I'll take us there," Blaze said.

"Good," Silver agreed. "Poor Frost. She's been through so much since she was a child. I'm sure that she experienced much worse as she got older. She needs a good friend. That's what she needs."


	6. Realization

**_The Cold Shoulder:  
Realization_**

The sounds of newspapers and the breeze of the outdoors snuck its way into my room and flowed into the bathroom. As I laid face down in the pool of my own blood, the sweet smell of the fresh, spring air tickled my nose. At least I knew that I wasn't going to be like that forever. I struggled to get up, trembling and stumbling, slipping on the pool of blood that belonged to me. I grabbed hold of the sink and pulled myself up to look myself in the mirror once again. Still naked and still cursed with that gash on my shoulder, I drew myself closer to the mirror. My face looked atrocious. This had never happened to me before. All this blood, all of this suffering, all of this vehement anger, it was too much for me to take.

My gag reflex activated when I was slapped across the face with a hanging presence of my heinous act. The precipitation from the blood and leftovers hung in the air and invaded my space. It was probably the worst thing I've ever smelt in my life. I felt my insides churn around like vegetables inside a juicer. I placed one hand to my stomach and another to my mouth, leaning and heaving over the sink, praying that it wouldn't happen. Darkness covered me again, wrapping me in its foul embrace like it did with so many others. Death and Darkness, the vile ugly pair, were always hanging over me, patiently waiting for a chance to corrupt me even further to the point where I was going to snap. Darkness' mission was halfway complete, but Death was still waiting, his bleeding hands gently touching my shoulder. All of a sudden, I could feel something cold creep its way up my throat. My stomach rumbled and growled, but this wasn't the growl of hunger. I felt my stomach moving, seething, regurgitating something disgusting. I heaved with desperation. A cold liquid slithered from my mouth and slid between my fingers. I moved my hand away from my mouth and saw it: A little trickle of vomit. I slid my hand from my throat and I glared at the brown liquid on my fingers.

I had to get out of here. I drew some spittle from my throat and spit it into the sink. Then I turned the water on; slightly warm with a hint of cold. As soon as I turned the knobs, I watched the water pour out of the opening and wash the brownish red spittle down the drain. "What a day," I said, putting my hands underneath the faucet and letting water pour inside my palms. I was soon to wipe the dried blood from my face when, just then, I saw Blaze's reflection in the puddle of water. I was getting sick of seeing her face pop up everywhere, invading my space.

"Frost, I tried," the faded reflection said.

She tried. I couldn't believe what my mind was hearing. I threw the water to my face and wiped the reflection of Blaze from my eyes. _You tried? Don't lie to me, you bitch. You let me die and didn't even bother to help me. Your only sister. Hmph. What kind of sister are you? _I thought.

I took a towel from the rack behind me and wiped the red water from my face. I placed it back on the rack and grabbed my newly-formed jacket. It shone with a dark purple aura, just like I wanted it. I slipped my pants back on and got myself back in order. This could possibly be the craziest day I've ever had. Sure, the time that I was chased down the street, being begged to be a sacrifice ten years ago may have been bad, but this one was worse in the sense that Blaze actually could have done something to save me, but didn't.

From the corner of my eye, I saw something on the shelves that just made me want to puke…again. On the top shelf, I saw a picture. I stood up and grabbed it and was absolutely horrified by what I saw. I just wanted to pluck out my eyes it was so horrible to watch. It was a portrait of Blaze and Silver holding hands and smiling. Blaze had done the bunny ears thing in the picture, and Silver was just standing there, smiling with his ugly mug. "Silver…" I growled, gripping the picture tighter until the frame cracked. The frame cracked and the glass began to break. I gripped it tighter and tighter. My eyes were on fire and anger saw through my bloodstream like poison. Frost and ice swam from my fingers, covering the picture in it. Frost creased slowly over the picture like a virus. The ice soon flowed over it, forming a path as it swallowed up the old photograph. In mere seconds, the entire picture was covered in ice. I let it fall to the ground and everything around me went to black. Something told me that this wasn't the end. The memories of that white hedgehog; all that running; constant fear from being judge; it was all coming back to me now. Silver didn't save me, either! I was now at the breaking point of my sanity. Silver never even bothered to be a hero. He never even tried to save me from those people. He just walked on and ignored me. "That little…" I growled again. A tear flowed from my eye and onto my bed. "I'll kill him."

Finally, my mission was realized: Kill both Silver and Blaze. Betrayal was the highest form of dishonor and treason in my book, and they practically raped my pride and left it for dead. Not this time. I slipped my jacket on and stomped on the picture before heading out the door. All I wanted was revenge and I was going to get it by any means possible. The picture of Silver and Blaze laid on the ground, ripped in two and crumpled up from the ice accumulation. The picture was ripped down the middle. They were separated.


	7. Confrontation

_**The Cold Shoulder:**_  
_**Confrontation**_

I knew what I had to do. If I held it back any longer, I would surely go mad. The wrath and fervent rage pent up within my demented psyche would be the end of me. The be-all and the end-all would come too soon if I refused to act. I had to find Blaze and show her the error of her ways and show her what it meant to feel betrayal at the hands of the one who loved you the most. I was probably wondering if Silver would be with her, since they were with each other all the time. I knew about the friendship that those two created together. She told me the whole thing, how excited she was about meeting this nice, new person. He was a psychic who respected her unlike every other psychic who just ridiculed because of her powers. He was very nice, and he was very optimistic about the future. She also told me that he loved to help others. If that was the case, then why didn't he try to help me? He just walked right past me, unconcerned with my situation and my problems. He just walked on by with that stupid grin on his goddamn face. I couldn't handle it any longer. Blaze needed to be confronted, and I needed to confront her. I stepped out of my dark room and entered the sunlight.

The sun was high in the sky and extremely bright. It burned my eyes. I shaded my face with my good arm and stomped out into the streets. My bad arm was still hanging towards the floor, dried blood covering the wound on my shoulder. I was starting to regain some feeling in my shoulder now, but I could still barely make it move. As soon as I took the first few baby steps into the hateful world that was my home, I was immediately met with negativity. People met me with hard stares of malevolence and hatred, their eyes piercing my core, staring into my soul, reading my diary of feelings that I kept hidden away in the depths of my heart. I couldn't even take one step without getting thrown a look of hostility. The air was heavy and humid, the murky heat pressing down upon my back, forcing me to fall to my knees. Combined with the hapless stares of the people, they were killing me slowly with their vision. Normally, I would be able to make it through hot days like this, but this time, it was like I had strapped myself in, running headfirst, naked into a minefield. It was a suicide mission and there was no other way to escape it. Claustrophobia was setting in as they locked me into a tight space, breaking and picking me apart piece by painful piece. I couldn't breathe. My lungs got tighter, and a river of sweat fell from my body. I had to escape from this hell quickly, otherwise the next thing I knew, I would be heading towards my demise where the only thing people would remember me by was an eyelash and a gravestone that read, "_R.I.P. (Rust In Pieces), Oh, Dreaded Curse!"_

I struggled to get up, but the weight of my damaged arm pulled me down. I grumbled in agony and slammed my fist on the concrete. My head fell to the ground. Tears formed from my eyes and left spots on the ground; small, numerous spots that revealed my fear and sadness all too well. I lifted my head up, wanted to cry for help so badly, but given my stalwart reputation amongst the citizens in this town, they probably would blot out my shaking cries and ignore me. Oh, sure, they would hear me, but they wouldn't dare to come and help a fellow citizen in need, and they would just let me drown in my own misery, my own pitiful sorrow, my own vehemence towards the world. I wanted to lay there and die, letting the people get what they want since they wanted me to vanish so damn badly, I figured why not give them what they want? I'll just lay my face on the concrete and let the sun shrivel me up, turning me into a raisin. Just then, more thoughts of Blaze came up, along with the memories of blood and immeasurable pain. A scream was heard and cheers were being chanted back and forth, '_The curse is dead! The curse is dead!'_ I knew what they were thinking. They wanted me to die, and they wanted to see me suffer in the most brutal ways possible. I wasn't going to go out like that. I had to shake off the chains that held me back and I couldn't wait another second for a savior to take me away from it all. I had to take matters into my own hands and find Blaze and tell her how I felt.

I slowly picked myself up, gravitating upward, ignoring the pain siphoning through me and ignoring the violent heat and began limping forward. Once again, I could feel the eyes of the Devil staring at me, tying to tear me down. I tried to ignore the eyes staring at me, gouging me from the inside out, but it was extremely difficult. They broke past my defenses and made me vulnerable again. I wasn't going to fall again. I had fallen too many times, and there was no chance that I was going to fall again. I was tired of stumbling and falling to my knees. Even when I felt myself plummeting, I knew there had to be a way out, no matter how bleak. This was one of those bleak times. Pressing onward, blacking out the stares of the people once again, I could see my salvation coming closer and closer: a wall. I had to turn right, but with the people relentlessly chewing me apart with their eyes, it seemed that my goal was getting farther and farther away. Grabbing my shoulder blade, I panted and briskly jogged to the other side of the wall, moving away from the vehement stares. I let loose a sigh of relief and leaned against the brick wall, sliding down to the concrete once again. I raised my left hand – my good one – and gently sprayed myself with cold wind from my palm. The exuberating feel of ice cold air rubbing my sweaty face on such a hot day was such a heavenly thing. I sighed in relief as the cold breeze stimulated my body, giving me a sense of happiness that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was just a cold breeze, but after all I went through, anything that brought comfort made me happy at this point.

Just then, I heard a soft voice from around the corner. My ears perked up and I instantly jumped up and shot my face forward. Its small, somewhat reassuring voice sounded familiar to me, like a page from a book being turned, revealing a close connection to a lost childhood. The voice grew louder and soon, the person came out of hiding, bringing with him the very person who I had been searching for.

"Blaze!" I exclaimed.

"Frost?" Silver shot back at me.

"S-Silver?"


	8. Humiliation

_Finally! I'm here updating my story that's been left collecting dust in the ashtray of my Stories bin for so many months. Look, I'm sorry for those who really like this story that I haven't been updating, and I have nothing to say that can justify why I've refused to update this. The only thing that I can say happened which was a fucking disgrace was my computer actually crashed and I had to reformat it twice. Therefore, all of my work had vanished into thin air. _

_Still, that's no excuse for putting this story off. Well, I finally got off my lazy ass and typed the final chapters. Expect them to be up shortly._

* * *

_**The Cold Shoulder:**_  
_**Humiliation**_

Unbelievable. I couldn't believe who I was looking at. Even as I was gazing upon it in pure shock with my very own two eyes, I couldn't fathom the dexterity of it. My mind began to flounder and my hands started to sweat. They shook wildly, like I had roaches crawling underneath my skin, their little legs shuffling, tickling me, causing a nervousness coursing through my veins as my body shivered from the unnatural sensation. I felt the unbridled need to scream, to yell, to climb to the top of the highest mountains and bellow at the top of my lungs how mind-numbingly embarrassing it was to see Silver with Blaze. And to add insult to injury, she beat me to the punch. I wanted to go to see her, but she had apparently seen me first. Well, she was faster than I was, I had to admit; but she was twice as stupid from bringing such a miserable pile of bile with her to witness what could very well be death by the hands of one so dear. "Silver! What in God's name are you doing here with her?"

Silver, determined and on guard with his hand out in front of him, stood in front of Blaze with his feet planted firmly on the ground as his spiky white hair whipped in the intensifying wild. He looked up and saw her, fists clenched tightly. He could see the blue aura form around her as she shook like a leaf whipping in the breeze. The little girl that he once had gazed upon, the little angel of a kitten that he remembered, that sweet precious face that he couldn't delete from his memory, it was all gone. She was a full grown cat and every trace of kindness inside her faded away just like the morning when the moon eclipsed over a starless sky. "Frost," he said calmly, trying to keep his cool as much as he could so he couldn't anger – well, further anger – Frost. "Do you remember me? I'm Silver. I'm the one who ran into you that time when you were five years old. Remember?"

I wanted to take an ice pick to his chest already. He was fucking insulting me. Did he really think that I was this stupid, this naïve as not to know who I was looking at with my own two eyes. I knew things that he didn't know, and he knew things I didn't, but the way he approached me with that kind of response almost caused my blood pressure to skyrocket. "Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of little kid! I'm not five years old anymore, Silver! I'm fucking 14 years old! I'm the same age as Blaze! Get that through your thick skull before you open your mouth," I snapped. A vein in my head began to bulge, clearly seen circulating behind my jet black fur.

"But, Frost, I…"

"Ah! Don't say another word," I retorted, forcing him to end his sentence before he continued to beleaguer me with petty words and childish phrases. "Silver, I'm not the same as I used to be. You know that. I know that you weren't there when they hurt me, but I'm sure you know the implications of the blisters on my body." I grabbed my right shoulder, the one that was still perfectly well, and slid the fabric from my suit from my shoulder down to the base of my breast. Wrinkles and scars plated my skin, faded and diluted from years, making my fur look cracked and dry like a desert. I gently rubbed my hand across the stitches, feeling the smooth patches of my fur that were burnt off so many years ago. I just wanted to kill myself. How could I let Silver see my wounds of my fractured past? "You weren't there, but I'll bet you know how I got these, right?" I inquired to him.

He couldn't hold back as his eyes widened, focusing in on what Frost was showing him. He proceeded to slowly lower his hands and shuffle his feet towards her. Blaze jolted her hand on his shoulder, holding him back. "It's all right, Blaze. I'll be fine," he reassured her. He shook her hand from his shoulder and continued. True, he wasn't there to witness what horrible things that took place, if anything really did happen, but the scars that stood just above the curve of her partly revealed breast were so tantalizing, if not creepy, yet interesting. The closer he got to her, the more nervous he got. The closer he got to the black furred vixen, the more he felt a few drops of courage and bravery leave his body. He was sure that if he touched her in the wrong way that would anger her or, otherwise, provoke her already disgruntled state, she would guarantee that he wouldn't stand again. The look in her lime green eyes was a dead given sign that she wasn't facetious. _Is it getting colder? _he thought. Already he could feel a cold chill stream down his back, almost unexpectedly, like someone or something was coaxing him to reverse because he was heading into uncharted territory. He was about three quarters of the way to Frost now. All he had to do was reach his hand out and touch her scars.

I could see that he was getting a bit too close to me. He actually thought that I was showing him these wounds so he could touch them? _How naïve, _I thought. His hand made it about halfway towards my wound, the circle on his palm glowing slightly as he neared my breast, before I snatched him by the wrist, emulating my ice across his shiny white arm. "Silver, I don't think you know where these wounds came from, do you?"

Blaze's eyes widened and her fearful disposition for Silver rose rapidly. She ignored his calm disclaimer, letting her know that everything was going to be okay. By the looks of it and how he was bent down with Frost gripping his wrist, glaring down upon him like a deranged lunatic, everything wasn't okay. "Silver!" she yelled. Ice needles flowed at her feet. She froze in place as they just missed her toes, frost forming on the toes of her heels.

"W-What do you mean?" Silver asked, struggling to break free from her grip. "I don't understand. I see the cuts, but…"

"That's right. You see the cuts, but…" I paused for a second to let him finish the sentence. He was silent. I continued. "…but you don't know how they got here. I knew you were that ignorant, Silver. You barely knew me. All I remember is that you bumped into me. What do you remember? I'm sure you remember much more than me, but I'm rambling now. You remember that decade ago when I was running from that mob of people, Silver. They wanted to kill me. They wanted my body. They wanted to tear me apart limb from limb all because I was what they all feared. And then you came in. With your silver locks flowing in the wind, a carefree look on your face, looking all merry; it makes me sick thinking about it. Then you pushed me aside as they continued to hunt me. You didn't even bother to help me. Oh, I may have been scared…"

"Silver!" Blaze cried. "Frost, stop it!"

"…I may have been scared, but I wasn't helpless. You were there. You could have helped me. You could have done something, but instead, you let them chase me as you walked away, uncaring and unnoticing. I ran as fast as I could." My voice began to crack slightly as my eyes moistened. "I ran and ran, but I couldn't escape my ghastly fate. They captured me, cut me with razor blades, and…and…t-they t-th-threw holy water all over me. It stung so fucking much. I felt like I was dying it hurt so badly! Tell me, Silver. What five year old girl has thoughts of killing herself?" I paused again and gripped his wrist even tighter I watched the ice crease and wrap around his fragile bones in a blurry concoction on snow white. "That's right. Me! I did! You may be wondering how I actually escaped. Well, I think that you need to know. I wanted so badly to escape; I actually broke free of the restraints holding me down – straps. Heh, what a joke! When I broke free, I ran home to my mom and dad to tell them what happened; but by the time I got there, they were gone. I had no idea what happened to them. The last I remember seeing them was when I was still an infant. Me and Blaze still have no idea where they could have gone. I had left their sight, but I knew that if I didn't stay hidden, then they would surely find me and subject me to more torture, so I hid away in my room, praying and hoping that either my parents or Blaze would come and save me."

Blaze's anger was beginning to surge through her veins. Flames began to spark from the ground, melting the ice at her feet. "Frost, stop this right now! Leave Silver alone!"

"But guess what?"

"T-t-they n-n-n-nev-v-ver d-did?" Silver shivered wildly as the ice around his arm sucked tighter and tighter.

"Not once. Our parents never bothered to show themselves, and Blaze's "dedication" to her job rather than our relationship as sisters got in the way. We barely saw each other after I got away from those murderous assholes. She spent her entire life as the Princess of the Sol Emeralds, their guardian. People threw themselves at her, only because those energy-charged jewels weren't just the key to our future, but they were a symbol. A symbol of evil power to one Dr. Eggman Nega, or so she tells me. The times we did meet, that's all she told me. She was going to protect the Sol Emeralds. Protect the Sol Emeralds! Protect the Sol Emeralds! That's all she told me whenever she came to visit, which was rare. The rest, as they say, is self-explanatory," I said. My lime green eyes still locked him down in a vice grip while my hand slid from his wrist. I watched his hand crash to the ground. His screams of agony and pain as his hand smashed against the concrete were no different than the screams that echoed through and through the sieve of my subconscious. I watched his face contort and mangle into an agonizing look while my face remained the same: demonstrative and dark.

She couldn't take watching this horrid act any longer. The flames on her body grew to their peak as they surrounded her body, from the soles of her shoes to the little tips on her ponytail, rising violently while her ember eyes reflecting vibrantly the pain she was feeling. It wasn't on par with how her sister was feeling, but it still hurt, regardless. She called out Silver's name as she ran towards him. Frost stepped aside and yielded for Blaze to approach him. As she approached his side, she took his arm – he grunted with every gentle jerk of his wrist – and let her fires melt the ice away. The ice weakened, falling from his arm in water droplets onto the ground, crackling away and vanishing into thin air. "Silver, are you okay?" she asked him.

"Y-yeah," he responded. "J-just a little c-c-chilly. Whoo! M-my arm is freezing!"

"Don't worry, Silver. Just let the flames do their thing."

I just stood at the side and watched Blaze cook Silver's frostbitten arm back to normal. I couldn't begin to grasp what she was doing. This kind of affection should have been reserved for only one person. Who did she think she was messing with? "Look at this. Look at the care and sincerity you're showing him. You've never done that for me before. Do you care about him more than you give two shits about your twin sister? Well, do you? Because if that's the case, then…then…"

"Frost, why are you doing this? Please tell me," Blaze softly spoke turning her head towards me.

"Blaze, you have no idea what I've been saying this whole time, do you? Don't you care about me? Don't you love me? I've been trying for ages to get you to actually listen to the words that come out of my mouth, yet you never listened, or you were too busy at your throne guarding those godforsaken Sol Emeralds. Now after I tell you my life story, you refuse to listen again. And I don't even need to remind you about your most recent sinful act against me."

At this point, Blaze had learned to control her temper, but this was too much for her to listen to. She hated when Frost blamed her for the problems that she had no control over. What was the point of even trying to help if all that would result was more self-indulged hatred and disposition? She smashed one hand on the ground and let Silver's arm go, his arm slightly discolored from the ice. "Sinful? What did I do that was sinful? Tell me exactly what I did, Frost. Tell me exactly what I did that made you despise me with a passion."

"No," I said simply with my head bowed to the floor. The wind was blowing harder now and thunder began to rumble across the gray wall in the sky. I could feel the low rumbles shake my eardrums. The storm was right above me. "No, I don't need to tell you. Reminding you of your own malicious actions towards your beloved sister will only prolong the torture when you see me again. That is, if you should ever see me again after I'm buried by these heartless creatures."

"But Frost, I do love you. I'm trying to let you know that I really _do _care about you. Not just as a friend, but as a sister. _My _sister."

"Says the liar to the fool."


	9. Degradation

_**The Cold Shoulder:**_  
_**Degradation**_

"Says the liar to the fool…" Blaze repeated to herself.

"Blaze, I wanted you to love me. I needed you in the one crucial moment of my life. And yet you never showed up. You weren't there for me. You left me to be rations, scraps for the ravenous wolves that we just so happen to call our people. Ever since our parents disappeared – I still don't know where they could have gone – and you left for your "job," you've cared noting about me. Just about yourself and that little bastard behind you," I hissed. I pointed to Silver who was kneeling behind her, messaging his slightly tarred arm, groaning and moaning in pain. I wanted to laugh, but it seemed unfitting for this moment. "If you cared enough, then you would've come and saved me like a real sister would."

Blaze was in absolute shock and disbelief at what Frost was saying. She couldn't even fathom the indescribable amount of propaganda she was splicing about her words. It sounded like she was saying that Blaze was the one to blame for everything that went wrong in her entire life. Never before had she heard words so bloated and inflated with such belligerence that made her want to keel over. Tolerance was never a factor that she was used to, and she knew that, but to have her ears raped by these false statements was far too much to take. "F-Frost…I…I just…I…"

"What? What is it? Speak your mind, dear sister."

If she were to release everything that she was feeling, every shroud of her emotion, every modicum of her broken-down spirit, then she would have no one to blame but herself for the lives that she unintentionally took. She didn't want to risk putting other people in danger because of her temper, so she remained silent with her hands pressed against the fabric of her purple, red trimmed outfit.

"Can't speak, huh?" I said. Something inside me must have realized that Blaze wanted to react in a way that was equal to retribution, almost like she wanted to attack me, but she didn't. Her hands were rested neatly at her waist, yet tiny, almost lightning quick bursts of fire started to spark, flicking on and off like a lighter trying to get that perfect flame. I crossed my arms and scoffed. "Why am I not surprised? Are you too conceited? Are you proud of yourself? You should be. You're stuffed with so much pride and self-admiration that you're about to burst at the seams. I can just see it. You're alone. Dying slowly on the side of a well-oiled pigsty. The rain is falling on the black streets of the city as smoke reveals itself from a tightly compacted sewer hole. All your flames are burnt out like a candle. You can't defend yourself and nobody acknowledges you. You wave your tin coffee cup in the air with your frail, skinless fingers, praying to God that you'll get a dollar, a nickel, even so much as a penny that could benefit this generation's fallen protector of the Sol Emeralds. Shivering and coughing up blood, you sit and watch in your singed clothes as the people walk by without giving so much as a passing glance. And then, you finally give up hope, and the last flickering flame that once illuminated this once peaceful future fades away into obscurity. Forever."

Suddenly, it got ominously quiet. Everything around them seemed to fade away into thin air, leaving nothing but three bodies in the cold, compacted air. The trees, the small patches of grass, the other citizens silently watching from afar in curiosity, everything vanished and a veil of black faded over the one hedgehog and the two cats. Emotions whirled around in a tight vortex over Blaze's head, most of those were compiled of negativity and ambiguity towards her sister. Why on earth could she say such things and not care about her feelings? Was she not a person? Was she not alive to her? "Frost…" she said, choked up. Her ember eyes began to moisten and flood with tears. One streamed down her cheek and let the gravity catch it. As her tears smacked the ground, rain began to fall. What a perfect representation of the agony that Blaze was suffering. "H-how could you?"

I hadn't expected much from her, but if this is what she was going to offer me, then I didn't need her fouling up my space. "How could I? How could I?" I yelled. "How could YOU? How could you throw me underneath the bus and let those people take me like that? I cried so hard! You obviously can't see the tears that once marked my silky white face, can you? No, because you're too blind to see the pain they caused me! I want to look at what THEY did to me…" I took my hand and hovered it over my left shoulder, the area that carried the gash. I could still feel the unnatural warmth of blood coating my black coat. Once more, those crucified thoughts came back to haunt me. The taste of my own blood, the scathing feel of dissipating bone marrow, the raping laughs of dissolution from the general public; oh, it was horrible! I stroked the giant cut. It was squishy and it made very disturbing sounds as I poked it slightly, double checking to see if the tingle was still there. Nothing of the sort. I gripped the dried blood coating the fabric around my right shoulder and slid it down to reveal the large, gaping hole caused by that mysterious weapon. Specks of blood blanketed the torn bits of flesh as I toted it to Blaze. I bit my tongue as rain seethed into the wound, causing more unwanted pain. Sure, it didn't hurt as bad over time, but that didn't prevent me from emulating the frightening sensation.

Blaze's eyes widened as she got a close look at the wound. It was the largest gash she had ever seen. Suddenly, the same images began to project in her mind. "Oh, my God," she said softly. "Frost…"

"Do you see this, Blaze? Do you see this gaping hole in my shoulder? They did this to me. THEY did this to ME! Not you! ME! All me!" I shouted. "Because of that stupid myth, I couldn't have a normal life. I was cursed to live a life of anonymity. A faceless existence just because I wasn't what they wanted me to be. Do you know what that feels like? Let me answer that for you: No, you don't, because you've never had to bow down to anyone! All your life, you've had people kissing the ground you stepped on! I remember vividly one time I heard from the window of my home people chanting, "Queen Blaze the Cat!" I was so embarrassed, so humiliated. I became a walking contradiction while you got all the admiration!"

"Frost…" Blaze tried to say. "I wa-"

"You got all the praise…and I…" I paused for a second to catch my breath. Twice as many tears streamed from my face. Ice began to siphon about the cracks in the ground. "…I…I got razor blades and holy water. Blaze, I loved you. I can't believe that you would do this to me. If this is the way it's going to be, then I don't fucking need a sister! Not some unlawful, betraying bitch like you!"

Running rampant, it seemed that Blaze was going to unleash her unbegotten wrath. Never before had she ever heard her speak in that tone before. She sounded demonic, possessed, enslaved, empty. Was this where her beloved sister had disappeared to? Was this what she was being reduced to listen to? Textbook excuses cumulated into something ugly? Still, no matter what Frost said about her, she still loved her, and if it boiled down to pointless fighting, then so be it. "Frost, no matter what you say, I will always love you. If you'll just let me explain, then I can tell you everything that..."

"LIES! FUCKING LIES!" I sounded like bat shrilling across a cave when I yelled that. I jumped to attack her, my hands outstretched in front of me, anger burning, raging violently in my lime green eyes. I latched my hands around neck and gripped it tightly, applying as much pressure as I could to her throat. "Don't you dare speak another lie," I hissed. "I want to hear the truth! Why? Why didn't you save me? Why did you leave me to die?"

Silver saw everything that happened. He wanted desperately to help his friend, but he was frozen solid. Was it because of his arm, or possibly another matter? "Blaze…no… Please, Frost. Leave her alone! I'm sorry!" he pleaded.

"You're sorry? Sorry for what?" I inquired angrily.

"For not saving you that one time. You're right. I should have listened and took you to safety. But instead, I just walked on by. And now, you're like this. It's all because of me. I'm so sorry, Frost. Please forgive me."

I just laughed and brushed his petty forgiveness aside. "Oh, right! Well, I do forgive you for that, but don't think that that will save Blaze. She still has yet to apologize," I said as I tightened the grip on her throat. I could hear her coughing and gasping for air.

"No! Frost!" Silver begged. "Stop it! What could Blaze have possibly done to you for you to despise her this much? Blaze is a kind and gentle soul who wouldn't harm a fly! And she loves you to no end! Please stop it, Frost! You're making a huge misunderstanding! This isn't going to solve anything if you take her life now. Even if she really did do something to truly hurt you – I don't believe she did – you aren't going to get any answers out of her with your hands around her throat like that."

Maybe he had a point. Maybe if I really did want to hear Blaze tip her hat with an apology, there wasn't any guarantee that I was going to hear it with my hands latched so tightly around my sister's pencil neck, so I released the grip on her neck, raised from her, and stepped backwards. My ears were pleased with the hacking coughs. My eyes were dually satisfied with the spittle of blood sliding from her mouth onto the wet ground that the rain prepared so thoroughly for her resting place. Hah! Blaze knew she wasn't any match for me. She wouldn't even bother to defend herself when I lunged at her. "You're lucky that Silver acted as the baron of courage, otherwise you would've been a dead cat," I chuckled. My sordid curiosity wanted to see more of her blood pooling in front of her feet, but first and foremost, I needed to hear the words that I so longed to hear. "Well, Blaze, let's hear it. Let's hear your apology."

"Apology?"

"That's right. You owe me an apology, and the truth. Don't try to run either. I'll freeze you where you stand."


	10. Conclusion

The Cold Shoulder:  
Conclusion

Blaze still couldn't believe that this was happening to her. Under the heaviest pressure and the most exigent circumstances, she felt like bursting, exploding away into nothingness. The massive infrastructure around her wouldn't protect her from Frost. The nature of the trees and the sweet-natured animals, even the more violent ones, probably wouldn't save her from facing Frost. _Is this how a sister treats another sister? Like a foreigner? Like a creature from another planet, met with hostility and hatred for something she didn't do? Why is Frost treating me like this? Because I wasn't there? Well, if she wants to know everything, I'll tell her what she wants to know._

I looked at her and saw her movements. They were slow, almost robotic as she breathed soft, bated breaths. What was she doing? Trying to stall for time wouldn't slow time down. If she knew very well that what she was going to do would cement our relationship together as sisters forever, then why was she hesitating? I couldn't hold back my patience just waiting for her. The rain above us poured down harder, and lightning struck at the sea water. The gentle downpour had shifted to a thunderstorm. Thunder clapped loudly against the troposphere, causing the earth under my feet to tremble. "Well?" I snapped. "What's taking so long? Let's hear it all. Let's hear everything you have to say. I'm all ears, sister." Why I still referred to her as sister, I don't know. Maybe I was anticipating the love ready to fill my body, to open my heart and allow our broken relationship flourish, to cumulate her adage within and let it flow deep within my mind. This was it.

"Whatever you want," she responded, "sister."

How she said the word sister surprised me because she always seemed so happy or concerned when she said it. Now, it sounded deep, dark, and misanthropic, like she was desperate to prove a point. This was it. This was the convergence of everything that I wanted. All I wanted was for her to tell the truth. Just come to me and tell me everything that happened. I wanted to hear it. I wanted her to say that she didn't come to save me. I wanted her to admit her wrongs and come crawling to me, scuffling on her knees, begging me for forgiveness. I would embrace her and we would be sisters again. My ears perked up and I 100% focused.

"Frost…"

"Yes?"

"I…"

"Yes?"

"Forgive you."

"Yes! Ye- wait. What?"

"I forgive you for what you've done. You blame this all on me because of your past misfortunes, then you come and reprimand me for their wrongdoings. You lunge at me and damage my throat. You use the most foul language against me and you spit in my face. Well, I forgive you. I forgive you from the deepest corners of my heart."

What in the world was I listening to? Did God hate me? Was I all by myself? I couldn't believe the words that came from her mouth. Just the way she said it, so calm and collected, made it even more disgusting. "I forgive you?" What was this nonsense, this toxic gunk, this malicious whisper haunting my ears? She was supposed to be admitting her wrongdoing towards me, painfully wallowing in her pathetic misery so I could comfort _her._ I was speechless. My jaw dropped to the floor and my eyes were just on the edge of popping from their sockets. This blasphemy that she was spewing made me want to rip my ears off and throw them into the unending ocean. Pretty sure I wouldn't be able to hear what she was trying to brainwash me with. "Blaze…what is the matter with you? How could you forgive me? I did nothing wrong!"

"And you wanted to hear the truth as to what happened today? You want to know why I wasn't there to prevent that tragedy? Well, I'll tell you the truth. You can choose to believe it, or you can bow it off as another lie. Your choice."

"B-Blaze…w-why?"

"It's the afternoon. The time is 2:30 PM. There I was, just walking around, letting the warm air and the rays of the sun splash my fur. Nothing was bothering me. Silver knew where I was going. I told him where I was going. I said that I was going to see my sister. It's been so long since I've actually saw her face, so I decided that it would be nice to give her a big hug and let her know that I wasn't ever going to leave her side," she said, smacking emphasis on the last few words. "After turning the corner of the building that contained our house, I heard some clamor. I ran to see what it was. As it turns out, there was a group of angry citizens crowded about a dark alley. Then, I heard people shouting, "Akuma! Akuma!" I said to myself, "Akuma? What do they mean by Akuma?" I remembered the lessons I was taught about the Black Cat Myth which states that the black cat would bring tormenting, pain and suffering for 1,000 years to whoever looked directly into its eyes. I was smart to know that it was just a myth, though. Instantly, I was reminded of you. Nobody could blesss me that kind of beautiful smile and those magnificent eyes. Just because they labeled you, that didn't mean it would change how I felt about you. I ran even faster when I heard the screams of agony. I got a glimpse of the white coat and the white fur and confirmed that it was you. I tried my hardest to break through the massive crowd of people, but it was hard. More people just kept coming, gathering together in one massive wall that prevented me from progressing any further. "One step forward, two steps back." That's what happened to me. Every time it seemed that I was closer to my goal, I was pressed backwards an even greater distance. That's when I heard the crowd cheering that just vexed me to no end. They all carried me away from you. I couldn't escape their grasp. That's when I saw your eyes open. You're hungry for revenge. And this is how you intend to get it."

It was official. The world was against me. What I heard was a crime, a sin, a blatant mortification against my senses that smacked me so hard it caused me to surrender. My entire body fell numb. My hands dropped to the floor along with my legs, which were as brittle as toothpicks. My knees scraped against the concrete. The lightning struck the coastline again while the thunder roared monstrously. Oh, if only that lightning would strike me, ending my pathetic existence. Nothing could stop hatred from pulling me down into the murky depths of Hell where I practically belonged. Every morsel, every fabric, every single molecule of my being was corroded and was left for dead. Nobody loved me. Nobody cared about me. Blaze, Silver, they didn't care. They never acknowledged how I felt. I was left alone and defenseless in the pouring rain. Each raindrop felt like an explosion tearing me down. Piece by piece, I collapsed and fell from my pedestal, crumbling into a million pieces against the cold floor. "B-Blaze…you didn't. Y-you…c-can't j-j-us…!" I blubbered. My eyes burned from the sensation of my tear ducts sucking themselves dry. I was blinded by my tears flooding my ember eyes. Why didn't she just set me on fire right there? Fire melts ice, right? So why not just melt me and watch me evaporate and become one with the air? I was already dead. Why make me suffer amongst the living any further? "…Y-you…y-you…"

"Frost…I love you. You can't tear yourself down like this. It's not healthy. It's not good for you. I've told you the truth. And I gave you your apology. This is what you wanted to hear, right?" Blaze said. Her sagging wet ponytail flapped in the wind as the torrents kept falling.

I remained silent. I didn't want to hear anymore. If this is what I was to be reduced to, then this was the end. I didn't need anyone. All those people who hurt me, Silver, Blaze, I didn't need any of them. Those vehement, venomous cheers from the tongues of men and women, the lies from my sister, the obliviousness of Silver, I didn't need any of it. I gripped my hands tighter and tighter until blood started to seethe through my gloves. All I needed was pain to ease the greater pain that polluted my soul: The pain of betrayal.

"Frost, can you hear me?" she said, stepping closer to Frost. "Frost, please answer me. I know that you can hear me. Please. I just need to hear those words. I know you know what they are. All you have to do is say them."

I grew deaf and dumb for a moment. All around me was a blur and I could envision myself in Hell. The fires melting away my body, melting away my bones and my sweaty face, all of it melting into the searing flames of Lucifer himself, severing all those memories that caused me so much anguish; the smell of sulfur smelt good right now. Maybe the feeling of melting wouldn't be so bad. Just then, I was brought back by a voice calling me, telling me to say the words. I looked up and saw Blaze with her hand stretched out, palm open wide. As if I was going to take this remark as something serious. Not for a second would I. She wanted me to say the words so bad, then I would just for her sake. She deserved it.

"Frost, are you there?" she said again. "Just say the words. Just say them to me. Blaze the Cat, your twin sister."

Gently, I took her hand in mine and squeezed it softly. It was warm with a strong pulse. I moved my fingers up towards her wrist, passing here veins until I reached her arm. Covered by the sleeves of her shirt, my intended target was in full view. I wrapped my hand around her arm and let my ice circulate around it. Anger flowed in my eyes and a whirlwind of plagued hatred ran through my heart. My ice was the most devious thing I had right at this very moment. I could feel the warmth inside her dying. Halfway up her arm, it was pale and cold. The blood stopped flowing and it was time. I opened my mouth wide and snapped my teeth down on the frozen wound. I heard her scream out in agony. Her screams were like music to my ears. A sweeter symphony I hadn't heard in so long. Whatever blood that was pooling back to the pale area was seething from her wound. I dug my canines deeper, burrowing even farther and harder, scraping at the skin. It didn't taste very pleasant, but if it meant that bitch wouldn't bother me again, so be it.

A barely conscious got a view of the scene before him. He ignored the sting in his arm and jetted to help Blaze. He limped slightly as he pressed himself forward. He cursed the frostbite on his arm holding him back. He could still feel Frost's morbid touch slathering his arm with palates of black ice. He shivered at the thought. "Blaze, hold on!"

I looked up and saw Silver approaching me. I released my fangs from Blaze's arm and pushed her backwards. Silver managed to catch her in time, holding her close as soon as she fell into his grip. 'Don't worry, Blaze. I've got you,' he said. What a cruel person. How could he help a bold-faced liar so easily? I couldn't take it anymore. Nevermore would I live on the same ground as hypocrites and backstabbers. I spat on Blaze and looked at her pathetic state one last time. "You want the words? I'll tell you. I don't love you. I don't believe you. You're a bold-faced liar with a heart of stone that can never be permeated. Blaze…" I paused for a second to let her absorb it all, "I hate you." I turned and walked away towards the lightning bolt.

Silver's eyes filled with rage and distress. He never thought that he would ever hear Frost use those kinds of words before. He felt like he was watching a demon slither away into the murky depths of her corrupted world. He picked Blaze up and helped her catch her balance. "Blaze, are you okay?" he asked her, concern in his voice.

"No. I just can't fathom it. How could she do that to me? Just toss me aside like some discarded teddy bear?"

"Don't worry, Blaze. You've got to people like that don't listen to reason. Now, how about we go home so we can medicate that arm?"

"Okay," Blaze responded sadly. Silver threw her arm over his shoulder and they walked steadily side by side away from the coastline. The people around them clamored to themselves slowly about the events that took place and proceeded to walk away, acting as if nothing happened. Blaze turned her head and saw her only sister stand at the coastline, her figure getting smaller and smaller as her and Silver walked away, their feet shuffling slowly across the concrete. She looked up and noticed the sky clearing up. Rays of the sun broke through the gray clouds, banishing the darkness that covered the city. Birds began to chirp and there was laughter breaking from the citizens. Blaze shook her head at the sad spectacle and faced forward. They were about halfway towards their house when Blaze had a question to ask. As they turned the corner of the upcoming street, she spoke softly. "Silver, I have a question."

"What is it, Blaze?" he said.

"Is what she said true?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Those things that Frost said to me. How she said she hated me, and she didn't care about my feelings, and how she just wanted to watch me suffer at her own expense, do you think that what she said was true?"

Silver grew silent for a second. After the events that transpired, he really didn't feel like answering any questions, but he loved her as a friend. "Well, I just think that she is going through a phase right now, and…"

"N-no, Silver. Just answer my question," she interrupted him. "Do you think that the things that Frost said to me were true?"

Even through the birds chirping and the sun shining brightly through the neon blue sky, it couldn't keep Silver from thinking the worst or fearing the inevitable. He loved Blaze as a true friend, but through all the suffering that she entailed with her sister and the hardships of guarding the Sol Emeralds, he couldn't bear the guilt of putting more unwanted stress on her back. He cared for her too much to watch her break in half because of stress. The truth hurts, it may be, but if it meant losing the one nearest and dearest to your heart, then what was to be gained by that venture. In short, Silver just shook his head back and forth and responded, "I'm sorry, Blaze. I can't answer that question right now."

"Oh…"

They were silent the rest of the walk home.

_The End_


End file.
